Broadcast timeline
BBC News Now
Friday 18 September 2026 · 12:00 BST · 30m · 7 stories · 15 annotated moments · 24 of 30 min on news stories (81%)
Broadcast overview
An AI-generated overview based on this broadcast's transcript.
Russia began three days of voting in its first parliamentary election since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine; critics say the vote is neither free nor fair, anti-war candidates are barred, and United Russia is expected to retain dominance. The broadcast noted that turnout and results will be watched as indicators of public weariness with the war, and that Putin's approval ratings have dropped. Separately, leaders of eight countries met under the Carpathian Integration Initiative, with the Polish prime minister warning that Russia plans hybrid drone and missile attacks against countries supporting Ukraine; Romania's foreign minister emphasized strengthening regional ties and potentially moving NATO presence from rotational to permanent.
In the southern Philippines, two students were killed and several critically injured in a school shooting; the 16-year-old suspect died after turning the weapon on himself. It was the third deadly incident at a school since June. In northwestern Pakistan, an explosion at a mosque in Kohat killed at least 16 people and wounded more than 30, after a vehicle loaded with explosives rammed into the building during Friday prayers; police reported an exchange of fire and said six attackers were also killed, bringing the total to 22.
The family of Scottish Sikh activist Jagtar Singh Johal, held in India for almost nine years without conviction, said he had been granted bail. The UK High Court was to consider action against MI5 after the security service admitted providing false evidence in a case it brought against the BBC; an official report found systemic failings. UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham hosted Irish Taoiseach Micheál Martin in Manchester, where both praised cooperation on issues including the Good Friday Agreement and support for Ukraine, with discussions expected on trade and EU relations.
- 0:14
- 5:16
- 11:10
- 14:30
- 17:10
- 17:10
Claim Jagtar Singh Johal granted bail by Delhi High Court but remains in India
Delhi High Court granted bail in all seven cases against Johal.
BBC News, BBC News Now, 18 September 2026, 17:10-17:19
- 18:11
Claim Jagtar Singh Johal granted bail by Delhi High Court but remains in India
Jagtar Singh Johal was acquitted of all charges in one case in March 2025.
BBC News, BBC News Now, 18 September 2026, 18:11-18:18
- 18:11
Claim Jagtar Singh Johal granted bail by Delhi High Court but remains in India
Jagtar Singh Johal was acquitted of all charges in one case in March 2025.
BBC News, BBC News Now, 18 September 2026, 18:11-18:18
- 18:11
Claim Jagtar Singh Johal granted bail by Delhi High Court but remains in India
Jagtar Singh Johal was acquitted of all charges in one case in March 2025.
BBC News, BBC News Now, 18 September 2026, 18:11-18:18
- 18:18
Contested quote Jagtar Singh Johal granted bail by Delhi High Court but remains in India
In March 2025, Jagtar was acquitted of all charges against him in one full case that went forward. The rest of the eight cases are duplicate of the same charges in which we've always said it's double jeopardy. But today's outcome means that Jagtar would at least be at liberty whilst the cases are ongoing.
BBC News, BBC News Now, 18 September 2026, 18:18-18:26
- 18:33
- 18:42
Claim MI5 accepts it gave dishonest evidence to three courts
Sir John Goldring's official report found MI5's evidence was based on lies and systemic failings.
BBC News, BBC News Now, 18 September 2026, 18:42-18:52
- 18:42
Claim MI5 accepts it gave dishonest evidence to three courts
MI5 admitted last year to providing false evidence in a case it brought against the BBC.
BBC News, BBC News Now, 18 September 2026, 18:42-18:52
- 18:59
Charged quote MI5 accepts it gave dishonest evidence to three courts
Our investigations correspondent Daniel De Simone has the latest on what to expect from the court today. Today, the High Court faces an unprecedented decision what to do about lies told by the security service to multiple courts. Four years ago, MI5 took the BBC to court to try and stop our investigation into the abuse of women
BBC News, BBC News Now, 18 September 2026, 18:59-19:09
- 19:29
Charged quote MI5 accepts it gave dishonest evidence to three courts
The agent used his role to coerce his then girlfriend, Beth, and attacked her with a machete. He told me every time that I said I wanted to leave, that he would kill me and they get away with it because of who he was, and he told me that his handlers knew about the violence. But the security service gave false evidence to three courts
BBC News, BBC News Now, 18 September 2026, 19:29-19:38
- 19:58
Charged quote MI5 accepts it gave dishonest evidence to three courts
MI5 had in fact disclosed the man's agent status to me during phone calls as it tried to persuade me not to investigate him. Last year, we exposed MI5's lies, something the organisation vehemently denied doing. But this summer, an official report by Sir John Goldring found MI5's evidence to be based on a string of lies
BBC News, BBC News Now, 18 September 2026, 19:58-20:06
- 20:06
Charged quote MI5 accepts it gave dishonest evidence to three courts
Last year, we exposed MI5's lies, something the organisation vehemently denied doing. But this summer, an official report by Sir John Goldring found MI5's evidence to be based on a string of lies and the organisation itself to be riddled with systemic failings. The report said one senior MI5 officer repeatedly
BBC News, BBC News Now, 18 September 2026, 20:06-20:19
- 20:06
Claim MI5 accepts it gave dishonest evidence to three courts
Sir John Goldring's official report found MI5's evidence was based on lies and systemic failings.
BBC News, BBC News Now, 18 September 2026, 20:06-20:19
- 20:06
Claim MI5 accepts it gave dishonest evidence to three courts
Sir John Goldring's official report found MI5's evidence was based on lies and systemic failings.
BBC News, BBC News Now, 18 September 2026, 20:06-20:19
- 20:06
Claim MI5 accepts it gave dishonest evidence to three courts
Sir John Goldring's official report found MI5's evidence was based on lies and systemic failings.
BBC News, BBC News Now, 18 September 2026, 20:06-20:15
- 20:20
Claim MI5 accepts it gave dishonest evidence to three courts
Sir John Goldring's official report found MI5's evidence was based on lies and systemic failings.
BBC News, BBC News Now, 18 September 2026, 20:20-20:32
- 21:22
- 25:47 ~4 min without annotations
Source: BBC NEWS, "BBC News Now", Friday 18 September 2026. Transcript excerpts and stills are shown only to support the analysis annotated alongside them. Search-result excerpts are distinct from the editorial annotations — see our copyright basis. The full broadcast is not reproduced.